


Infinite

by samedifference61



Series: Infinite [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Aliens Made Them Do It, Fluff, M/M, Mission Fic, Secret Marriage, kylux cantina prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-25
Updated: 2018-02-25
Packaged: 2019-03-24 00:31:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13799589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samedifference61/pseuds/samedifference61
Summary: For theKylux Cantinaprompt: Secret Marriage“Supreme Leader Snoke only said the mission would require both of us. I didn’t know the knowledge we seek could only be obtained by entering the temple.”What Ren doesn’t say is the temple in question can only be entered by those seeking a Partnership Bond.A fucking spiritual marriage.





	Infinite

“Why is it that I manage to only get myself into these situations with you?”

“Just shut your mouth and hold my hand,” Ren murmurs, steady and composed, like he’s ready to get on with it. That’s fine. Hux has enough anger for the both of them.  

Grudgingly, Hux removes his glove first and wipes the sweat away on his trousers before holding his hand out. Ren’s bare hand slips into his, gripping him solidly. His fingers are strong and warm, and Hux can feel the calloused skin along his palm from his endless lightsaber training.

“This is completely insane,” Hux whisper-shouts, tilting his head so Ren can’t mistake the annoyance in his tone. They’re kneeling, shoulder to shoulder in front of an altar of some kind. It’s made of an iridescent, glassy material with a blueish silvery sheen. There’s a single book upon its surface, a fat, leather bound volume etched with symbols from an ancient language. “Did you know this would happen?”

“Supreme Leader Snoke only said the mission would require both of us. I didn’t know the knowledge we seek could only be obtained by entering the temple.”

What Ren doesn’t say is the  _temple in question_  can only be entered by those seeking a Partnership Bond.  _A fucking spiritual marriage._

“Do you have the information we need yet?”

Ren is meant to be reading the minds of the temple Overseers in order to gather information about where this ancient Cantonican text is hidden. It was apparently stolen from Snoke a century ago, and contains the map for an ancient treasure. Ren started explaining the whole story in detail, but Hux stopped him when he realized this treasure would be enough to fund the plans for the Starkiller Base project. That’s all Hux needed to know, eager to get started on its construction.

“No,” Ren states. “Not yet.”

“When?” Hux hisses impatiently.

“When you stop questioning me so I can concentrate on extracting the information we need.” Hux can finally hear the annoyance in Ren’s voice, so he closes his mouth and waits.

It’s a pity they can’t just take one of these Overseers hostage aboard the Finalizer and take the information forcibly. When Hux had suggested it, just before they touched down on this wretched, ancient planet, Ren had only said the details were too vague, and he only knows it’s kept safe by one of these creatures, the Overseers. Taking more than a dozen hostages would yield slower results than they can afford, and Supreme Leader’s patience for waiting is wearing thin. This is the way forward, Ren had assured him.

One of the Overseers steps forward. It’s long of limb, standing on skinny legs two heads taller than Hux, scaly grey skin visible only at the head behind its silver robes. A second one comes forward, a human female dressed in a slave’s brown tunic. The overseer speaks in an unfamiliar language. It’s lyrical and flowing without pauses between the sounds, like a trilling song– not unpleasant. It’s something that might lull Hux to sleep if he weren’t so keyed up already.

The human girl translates, blank faced and droning, “You come before the Overseers of Ra’ah seeking the Partnership Bond. This is a choice not taken lightly and the bond is for life. Do you come freely?”

There’s no hesitation when Ren states, “Yes. I’ve come of my own will to seek the Partnership Bond of Ra’ah.”

Hux looks horrified– eyes darting from Ren to the overseers and back again. Ren has his eyes closed now, a frown between his brows. Hux knows that expression. He’s flitting through the Overseer’s thoughts but trying to be discreet. The Overseer and the slave do not seem bothered though, so Ren hasn’t been detected yet.

Hux clears his throat, buying a few seconds more for Ren find what he needs so they can kill everyone in this temple and run far from this awful situation. Ren is silent. His hand is heavy and warm while it’s still enclosing Hux’s own.

“And you?” the human asks, giving Hux an intense stare he hopes doesn’t allow  _her_  to read his thoughts.

 _This Partnership Bond will mean nothing once we’re gone from this place_ , Ren sends telepathically, as if that’s at all reassuring– or an actual point of persuasion. 

“Yes. I do,” Hux mumbles quickly, knowing he has to accept to keep this plan in motion.

The Overseer returns from the altar with two silver rings with bits of the same reflective glass as the altar woven into the design. Hux looks at them with panic but tries his best to control his facial expression.

 _I almost have it. This human knows the information we seek. After the rings are on, be ready,_  Ren sends to him.

 _After_  the rings are on? Hux nearly swears under his breath when Ren takes the first ring and turns to Hux, raising his eyebrows slightly to urge Hux on. Hux’s hand is shaking but he raises it for Ren to slip the ring onto his fourth finger.

The Overseer speaks again and the Human translates. “These rings symbolize the bond between you. The shape of the ring is an infinite loop. The materials are unbreakable. You will be faithful and loyal always, just as it is written in the ancient texts.”

When the human stops speaking, Ren takes the second ring and hands it over to Hux, dropping it in his palm.

Hux slips it onto Ren’s finger to create a matching pair. There’s a breathless moment when Hux looks down at their fingers still touching, the rings overlapping before he looks up at Ren again, eyes clear and sure.

 _It’s time_ , Ren sends, and there’s nothing left to do but hold his hand up, the one with the new ring. A few seconds later, his blaster zips through the air, directed by the Force and stolen away from the guard who confiscated his weapon outside the temple. Ren fits it to his hand like a magnet and Hux crouches down at the same time Ren stands, lightsaber drawn and glowing fire-red.

_Take them out. Both of them._

Hux does. A blaster shot to the forehead for each of them. The Overseer first, followed by the human girl. Hux is a good shot, so it’s a relatively painless way to die. There’s barely a moment for either of them to panic before they’re lying dead, blood pooling to the floor and eyes left vacant.

_The book on the altar. Take it. Protect it. The answers we seek are contained within it. Stay low until I tell you it’s safe._

It’s as natural as breathing to let Ren’s sure words guide him.

Hux dashes up the stairs and dives behind the altar, sliding the book down with him.

Beyond, he can hear the crackle-hiss of Ren’s lightsaber and the shift of quick feet. The guards running and shouting at the temple’s entrance. They go down one at a time, and Hux uses his comm to bark at the Finalizer for backup, clutching the book to his chest under his greatcoat, with his back to the iridescent altar. He takes out two guards coming in a separate, side door before Ren welds it shut with the Force.

His breath comes in harsh pulls as he finds himself thinking about Ren splitting the guards in half with his deadly lightsaber while still wearing Hux’s matching ring.  There’s no way of knowing if they actually completed the Partner Bond ritual, but it feels like something has closed around his chest, his heart and lungs and ribs. It’s not constricting, but feels more like an extra layer of protection that wasn’t there before.

It’s pleasant and warm, and strangely, Hux finds himself hoping it feels the same for Ren.

* * *

“We don’t have to wear these anymore,” Ren says, turning the silver ring over on his finger without pulling it off, examining the bits of reflective glass.

Hux looks down at his new ring, glittering in the harsh overhead lights of the transport taking them back to the Finalizer. The ring has a weight to it he didn’t expect, and the edges are flat and plain, with the same tiny, indiscernible letters as the book scrawled into the underside. It fits just right, and he wonders how the sizing could be perfect on the first try. It makes no sense.

What a perfectly insane day. He hopes it’s all worth it to Snoke since Hux is almost certainly  _married_  to his dark apprentice now. And yet– it could have ended much worse, Hux reasons.

“I don’t know. It must be valuable. The ring, I mean.” Which isn’t really a reason to keep wearing it, but Hux doesn’t offer any other explanation, just feels his cheeks color and hopes Ren isn’t in the mood to humiliate him by pointing it out.

Ren makes a fist and looks at Hux with fear mixed with a touch of curiosity. Hux finds he likes surprising Ren. More confident now, he sits straighter and holds Ren’s gaze, daring him to question his motives.

They stare at each other in a silent standoff.

“Fine,” is all Ren says to break it. He says it like there’s something settled between them, like it’s the answer to a question neither of them have asked yet.

Ren takes the heavy book from where it’s resting beside Hux and sweeps away toward the cockpit before Hux can summon the courage to ask for clarification.

Ren doesn’t take his ring off either. 

**Author's Note:**

> My tumblr can be found [here.](http://samedifference61.tumblr.com/)


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